


Babylon

by clizziem



Series: Don't Smile at Me [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Hospitals, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Protective Azula (Avatar), Sibling Bonding, We're getting closer to that gay shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:15:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28399824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clizziem/pseuds/clizziem
Summary: OutsideUncle Iroh’s message illuminates Azula’s room and she smirks at her phone screen. So maybe this was an earlier departure from this house than she had been planning, but she doesn’t really care. After what happened with Zuko today, she’s ready to leave. She sends a quick text to Iroh that she’ll be out in a moment and stuffs a beat-up koala Webkinz into a backpack and swings it over her shoulder.Azula on leaving her father's house
Relationships: Azula & Iroh (Avatar), Azula & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Don't Smile at Me [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2079291
Comments: 21
Kudos: 408





	Babylon

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, I cannot be stopped  
> Just to be safe, I'm gonna put a little trigger warning about child abuse but it's not that bad or graphic or anything.  
> Enjoy!

_ Outside _

Uncle Iroh’s message illuminates Azula’s room and she smirks at her phone screen. So maybe this was an earlier departure from this house than she had been planning, but she doesn’t really care. After what happened with Zuko today, she’s ready to leave. She sends a quick text to Iroh that she’ll be out in a moment and stuffs a beat-up koala Webkinz into a backpack and swings it over her shoulder.

Azula strides past her father sitting lazily in the living room. Ozai does something of a double-take and gets up to follow her down the driveway. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Ozai barks at her. Azula freezes, a spark of fear erupting in her for just a second. She takes a deep breath and keeps her eyes trained on the ground.

“Uncle Iroh’s,” she says steadily and turns to face her father. “I’m done here.” She heads towards Iroh’s car a little faster now but hears Ozai’s footsteps echoing behind her. She makes the first uncertain eye contact with her uncle and Iroh steps out of the green Subaru and stares his brother down.

“I have given you everything and this is how you repay me?” Ozai roars and catches up with Azula.

“Stand down, Ozai,” Iroh says sternly. Ozai ignores him and Azula reaches for the car door. Ozai’s hand reaches out like a viper and grabs her wrist, bringing it up between them.

“Let me go,” Azula snaps and gasps as his grip tightens. She’s seen Zuko like this countless times. His wrists were usually almost black when Ozai would finally let him go.

His cheek flaming from slaps and punches.

Eyes red and puffy from crying in fear and pain.

Ozai had never laid a hand on her. Even after their mother left and his never-ending assault on Zuko began.

But right now, looking her father in the eyes, she sees the same look he always had on when her brother was about to get attacked.

She holds her breath but her gaze remains steady.

“Let her go, brother,” Iroh says and brushes his sweater to the side and the unmistakable glint of metal shines in Ozai’s eyes. Ozai growls under his breath and drops Azula’s hand. “Send their belongings my way while we’re at the hospital.” Iroh slips back into the car and shuts the door. Azula sends her father one last smirk and gets into the passenger’s seat.

The first block and a half are spent in silence beyond the clicks of Azula’s keyboard as she tells Sokka they’ll come to Zuko after she tells Iroh where to go.

Then,

“Why was he kicked out?” Iroh asks. Azula sighs and stares out the window.

“I had my ears covered for that part,” she says.

“He didn’t tell you?”

“He was a little preoccupied with wondering whether he was going to survive the next hour so no, he didn’t,” she says bitterly. Iroh sighs and another wave of silence falls over them.

Then,

“If Ozai had not banned me from reaching out to you two after Ursa…” Iroh trails off and takes a deep breath as Azula stiffens. “I would have gotten you both out of there sooner.”

“You just threatened him with-”

“He told me as long as I came nowhere near either of you, no harm would come to you two. He was threatening your lives, Azula. I had no idea what to do so I-”

“Obeyed,” Azula finishes with a sigh and rolls down her window. She pulls her Juul out and takes a puff.

“That’s a nasty habit,” Iroh chastises gently. Azula chuckles.

“Yeah well the last two hours have been a little traumatic so I need to destress,” she says. Iroh smiles and focuses on the road.

“I am sorry for not coming sooner. I should have pushed harder when Ursa left.”

“Maybe so,” Azula says. “But it’s alright. Ozai’s fucking crazy, I don’t exactly blame you for obeying him. It’s how not to get burned,” she adds the last part softly. Iroh shudders and Azula drops her gaze.

Neither of them had been allowed anywhere near Zuko while he was in the hospital after Ozai held him against a lit stovetop. Only Ozai went to see him. Whether that was to appear innocent or keep Zuko from running to Iroh, Azula still doesn’t know. Every time she’s asked about that month, Zuko goes blank and can’t answer her.

They pull up to Sokka’s house a couple of minutes later and Iroh goes to help Zuko into the car. Azula watches her uncle and a tall, brown-skinned man with a blue bead in his hair place her brother gingerly in the backseat. Maybe it’s the bruises on his face and how he’s panting with pain, but he looks absolutely exhausted. Azula reaches into her backpack and hands him another piece of gum.

“The sugar might perk you up,” she says. Zuko takes it and starts chewing but lets his head fall against the window. Iroh gets back in the car and starts the engine.

“I know you’re tired, nephew, but we have to take care of your ankle,” Iroh says sadly. Zuko doesn’t say anything. Just shuts his eyes and a tiny sob barely makes it out of his lips. Azula bites her lip and goes back into her backpack and pulls out the Webkinz.

“I found this in the hall closet,” she says and twists in her seat to hold it out to her brother. Zuko’s head lifts up and he wipes his eyes. “Do you want it?” Zuko holds a hand out and Azula stretches to place the old little thing in his fingers. Zuko holds it close to his chest like he did when he was little, and sniffles out the window. Azula smiles sadly and turns back around and stares out the windshield. He’s not usually this quiet, even after an attack.

For the first time that night, Azula wishes she knew what the fight was about. She remembers hearing her father yelling for a long time before she heard blows landing.

She hadn’t heard Zuko’s voice the entire time.

Iroh manages to get a wheelchair from the staff before bringing Zuko in. A nurse ushers them into a corner closed off with a curtain and helps Zuko onto the bed. Azula can already see his gaze going glassy. Not just tired glassy but the same kind of glassy he gets when she asks about the month after the burn.

There’s a little space on the bed, so she hops onto it and grabs Zuko’s hand. He meets her gaze and she almost flinches at how scared he looks.

“No one’s going to hurt you. I doubt we’ll even be here that long,” she says. Zuko hugs his koala tighter and taps the top of her hand. It’s not much.

But it’s something.

A doctor comes in and Iroh explains what happened and what they need.

Zuko doesn’t answer any of her questions.

They cart him off for x-rays and only Iroh is allowed to come with him. Azula sits on the bed and updates Sokka about what’s happening.

As if she knows.

Another nurse comes by and hands her a cup of water. “Doctor Song says x-rays are done. They’re just getting his foot cast on.”

Azula nods. “How is he?”

The nurse smiles sadly. “Quiet. He hasn’t spoken yet.”

Azula scoffs and longs to pull out her vape. “Of course he isn’t talking,” she mutters as all the pieces fall together. “Last time he was here dad kept him quiet, too.”

“What?”

“Nothing,” Azula says and takes her phone out, ending her conversation with the nurse. She pulls up her texts with Sokka again. 

_ He’s having some kind of trauma response. Text him, it’ll cheer him up. _

She waits a second before getting a thumbs-up emoji. She rolls her eyes. Why her brother likes some idiot that finds emojis a worthy substitute for words she’ll never understand.

For getting to the emergency room at seven, leaving at eleven seems like a miracle. Once home, Iroh starts sorting their belongings (dropped off in the backyard as Ozai had been instructed) while Azula brings Zuko upstairs.

She was right to text Sokka. He’s exhausted but at least seems a little more alive.

Iroh’s spare room has two twin beds on either side of a white end table with a lamp on top of it.

Maybe he was ready for this day for longer than Azula thought. 

“Which one do you want?” She asks her brother. Zuko points to the left one.

“That one,” he mumbles. She helps him hobble over to the edge of the bed and he manages to get under the covers on his own. Azula takes one of her pillows and lifts his sheets to put it under his broken ankle.

“Thanks, Zula,” Zuko says sleepily. Azula smirks at him and flops onto her new bed.

“Hell of a day,” she says to the ceiling. Zuko snorts. He doesn’t say anything but that laugh gives Azula so much assurance.

Then,

“What’s on your hand?” Zuko asks. Azula frowns and he nods to her wrist.

The one Ozai grabbed.

It’s red.

“Oh. Dad wasn’t too happy about me leaving.”

“Are you-”

“I’m fine. He didn’t do anything.”

“Okay,” Zuko says softly and they fall silent. Azula rubs her hand and thinks back to what Iroh asked in the car.

She takes a deep breath and turns her head to look at her brother. “Why did it happen? Why did he kick you out?” She asks. Zuko stares at his lap and takes a shaky breath.

“Don’t tell Iroh yet, okay?” He says. Azula nods and sits up. Zuko wrings his hands together. “He went through my phone and found… messages between me and, um, Sokka that weren’t as...innocuous as I thought they-” he breaks off and puts his head in his hands.

“Are you trying to come out to me?” Azula asks. Zuko nods twice and then sobs. She’s up instantly and sits next to him. “Well if it’s any consolation you don’t have to keep going, I already knew.”

“How?” Zuko mumbles.

“You weren't exactly subtle with how you stared dreamily at him across the classroom in history. Or how excited you’d get when he would text you. Or-”

“Okay, I get it,” Zuko chuckles and leans his head on hers. “Well he said he wouldn’t have a queer for a son and…” he gestures down his body. Azula shakes her head.

“Dick.”

“Yeah,” Zuko agrees. Azula sighs and goes back to her bed.

“I know you’re exhausted and even more traumatized now, but would it make you feel any better if I told you Iroh threatened that piece of shit with a gun?”

Zuko’s face lights up.

She might not know everything that monster did to her brother, but it doesn’t matter now.

They’re safe here. 

**Author's Note:**

> I know that sounds super final, but I have at least one more part planned so stay tuned if you want :)


End file.
